The Return of Jesus (Hebrews 9:28)

We can see from the chapter that the author is engaged in explaining how Jesus fulfils aspects of what has been called the ceremonial law. Sometimes we might think that those rituals only focus on details that were fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus. Yet that is not the case, and the author refers to what happened on the annual Day of Atonement to make this point. On that occasion, the high priest offered a sacrifice for the sins of the nation, then went into a room or section that was called the Holy of Holies with the blood of the sacrifice, and then came out again. His offering a sacrifice depicted the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, his entering the Holy of Holies depicted the ascension and ministry of Jesus in heaven, and his coming out of there depicted the future coming of Jesus when he returns to this world.

The second coming of Jesus is usually the cause of questions. When will it happen? How will it happen? Will I live to see it? Those questions are answered elsewhere in the Bible in more detail. Here we are told the answer to two questions: (1) why will Jesus return and (2) what should be our attitude as we wait for him to return?

Why will Jesus return?

The author tells us that Jesus will not return to deal with sin but to save those who are waiting for him. When he refers to dealing with sin he is not referring to Jesus as the judge of sinners. Instead he is referring to the fact that Jesus dealt with the problem of sin at his first coming when he went to the Cross. We are reminded here that the death of Jesus was a finished work as far as salvation is concerned. We do not need anything else to add to the atoning work of Jesus as we hope for salvation. So salvation here is not adding to the work of Jesus on Calvary.

Yet the author does say that Jesus, when he returns, will save his people. To appreciate the point that the author is making, we remind ourselves of a common way of explaining this. Jesus saved us from the penalty of sin when he took our place on the cross; he saves us from the condemnation of our sins when we believe in him for the first time and are justified permanently; he saves us from the power of sin throughout our Christian lives through the process of sanctification; and he will save his people from the presence of sin when he returns and glorifies his people. The salvation which will happen when he returns is linked to the previous expressions of it and will be the climax to it in our experience.

This future experience of salvation concerns all the people of God whether they are on earth or in heaven. We may find this hard to grasp as far as those believers who are in heaven are concerned because their souls are now perfect in holiness and existing in the world of glory. Nevertheless there are aspects of that final salvation which they have not experienced and so they with us are waiting for it. So what are those aspects?

As far as those who will be in heaven are concerned, future salvation for them involves their resurrection from the dead. Some of them have been waiting for their bodies for thousands of years. How long have Abel and Seth been waiting for their bodies? We can go through the names of all the believers mentioned in the Bible, including the apostles and all the church members referred to in the New Testament, and among them are the original recipients of the verses we are considering. Yet they will all rise from the dead on the day that Jesus returns.

The order of events at the second coming is described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. There the apostle says that when Jesus comes back the dead in Christ will arise first. The word ‘first’ does not mean that believers will rise before unbelievers, although that is the way it will occur. Instead, Paul means that those in heaven will be raised from the dead before something happens to those believers still living when he returns.

It is good for us to imagine this tremendous moment, because it will only be a moment before the next stage in salvation occurs. At the beginning, in the week of creation, God spoke and it happened according to his intention. On this great day, Jesus told some listeners, the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear him will live. It is almost like the resurrection of Lazarus, except there will be billions who will be raised, and unlike Lazarus, they will not be raised to die again. What incredible power the Son of God must possess to raise all those dead believers simultaneously!

Immediately, Paul says, both those believers just resurrected and those who never died will be changed in the sense of being transformed. They will be glorified physically. Of course, those still alive will be made perfect in their spirits. But they and the others who have been resurrected will experience more power of Jesus. In a moment, they will be like him physically. The apostle John reminds us of this reality when he says that when we see Jesus we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2). We will not see him as he was, when he was here before. Instead we will see the glorified Saviour and we will be changed.

Imagine a believer who that morning had to hobble along the street using a walking stick. In a moment, he has such energy! Imagine a believer who that morning was plagued by sinful thoughts. In a moment, he has such purity! Imagine a believer who that morning was undergoing persecution. In a moment, he has such freedom! Imagine a believer who that morning was marked by insecurity. In a moment, he has such peace! All this, and much more, will take place because then we will no longer only have the firstfruits of the Spirit. Instead we will have the fulness.

So there is resurrection and renewal of our bodies as part of the final expression of salvation. But there is more. In addition, there will be the sharing of an inheritance. As Paul reminds the Roman believers, we are joint-heirs with Jesus (Rom. 8:17), which means that we will share his inheritance. Earlier in this book of Hebrews, the author mentions that Jesus is the heir of all things (Heb. 1:2). So as part of the incredible salvation that believers are going to receive is life in the new heavens and new earth. We cannot fully say what that life will involve, although we do know that the meaning of eternal life is getting to know God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

There is another aspect of future salvation mentioned in the passage and that is the final judgement. What will it be like to be there? Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:2 that the saints shall judge the world, which is hard to understand, but such a function is obviously a great honour. But they too will appear at the judgment seat of Christ and their lives will be assessed and rewards given. Yet we are not to imagine that somehow they deserve the rewards. Even the best things that they did for Jesus were tainted with sin. They will be forgiven publicly for the sake of Jesus at that event. If they will not get what they deserve regarding their sins, it must be salvation.

What should be our attitude?

Think about what took place on the Day of Atonement, when the High Priest was inside the Holy of Holies. What would have been the attitude of the large crowd of worshippers outside? They would have been waiting eagerly for him to come out because once he did they would know that they were forgiven as a nation for another year. How greater should be the response of those who know they have been forgiven eternally.

The word translated ‘eagerly waiting’ is found elsewhere in connection to the second coming. In Romans 8:19, Paul uses it of the creation: ‘For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.’ Then he describes Christians as those who ‘groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies’ (Rom. 8:23). He uses it also of believers in Philippi when he says that they ‘await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 3:20). It is not difficult to deduce that this should be the normal Christian outlook.

What reasons can we give for such a longing? One would be that then we will be free from the effects of sin. Sin is personal, but it is cosmic too in the sense that we see its effects everywhere. One day, they will be gone for ever. There will be no more sin within us or around us. We should be looking forward to that.

On that day, the reproach that believers have endured from following Jesus will be removed. The occasions of taunts and derision will be over and instead they will find themselves surrounded by bliss and glory. We should be looking forward to that.

On that day, we will discover the value of the riches we have stored in the bank of heaven. Jesus told his disciples not to lay up treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupts. Instead they should invest in the heavenly bank where the interest is sky high. They invest by praying for things, by obeying his instructions, by being kind to one another, by spreading the gospel, by helping the needy. Of course, they do not engage in such things because of pride in their own actions. If asked, they will see plenty faults in what they do. Yet, the heavenly Banker has promised great returns for their investments. We should be looking forward to that.

On that day, they will be part of a great family gathering that will have no end. In the gathering, there will be those they knew well, there will be those they only heard or read about, and there will be those that they never heard of before. There are many ways that we can think about meeting those who will gather there. We should be looking forward to that occasion.

Of course, the greatest motive for looking ahead to the return of Jesus is to see Jesus himself. Job, in his troubles, looked forward to seeing Jesus on that day. David said he would be satisfied when he awoke on the resurrection day with the Lord’s likeness. At the end of the Book of Revelation when Jesus said he was coming soon, the apostle John said, ‘Even so come, Lord Jesus.’ We should be looking forward to that meeting.

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Preached on 18 December 2016